Improvement in plate-printing machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. HEWITT. Plate-Printing Machine.

No. 216,273. Patented June 10, 1879.

N. PETERS. PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASNINGfONv D C.

*2 Sheets-SheetQ.

E. HEWITT. Plate-Printing Machine.

No. 216.273. Patented June 10, I879.

N PEI'ERS, PHOTO UTHOGR "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD HEWITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PLATE-PRINTING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,273, dated J nnc 10, 1879 application filed October 19, 1877.

To all whom z'tmay concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD HEWITT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to Machines for Die and'Plate Printing, of which the following is a specification.

My machine is of the class in which the die or plate is liberally inked and wiped automatically, and is, by the further operation of the machine, powerfully pressed upon the paper or other material which is to be printed. The wiping is effected by a long strip of paper or analogous material, which is moved to present clean surfaces.

I have devised improvements in the means of operating the die or plate for the impression, in the means for inking, in the means for wiping and for moving the paper as a part of the operation, and for adjusting the pressure by delicately and uniformly elevating or depressing the counter-die while holding its surface exactly true or parallel.

The following is a description of what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of the specification.

Figure 1 is a general side elevation. Fig. 2

is a corresponding plan view. Fig. 3is a partial front elevation, showing the means for moving the die or plate for the wiping. Fig.

4 is a section corresponding to Fig. 3, showin g the spring-support for the wiping-paper.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

The machine is represented as applied for printing with a small thick plate, or what may be properly termed a die, and I will so designate it; but it will be understood that the machine may be made large and adapted to carry thin plates properly attached, so as to effect what is known as plate-printing.

A is a fixed frame-work, supported by legs or other efficient means. (Not represented.) The main driving-shaft B, operated by a belt, (not represented, gives motion through a small gear-wheel, B, to a large gear-wheel, D", fixed on a stout shaft, D, which carries a cam, D performing important duties.

E is a stout lever turning on a center, e, and

vibrated by the cam D to give a strong upand-down motion to a slide, G, traveling in vertical ways in the horn or upper portion of the framing. This slide G is dovetailed transversely in its enlarged lower end, and adapted to hold and carry the die H, and to allow its withdrawal by a lateral motion.

P is a counter-die dovetailed in a stout adjustable bed or die-holder, Q, so that it may be readily withdrawn by a lateral movement Whenever it is desired to omit an impression without stopping the machine. R is a lever turning on a center, a", connected to the sliding counter-die P by a link, S. This lever is conveniently situated to be readily operated by hand.

T is a wedge bearing firmly on the framing A, and supporting the die-holder Q by acting against a correspondiugly-inclined surface, so that a slight movement-of the wedge T will raise or lower the holder Q, and consequently the counter-die P, while holding it rigidly level. U is a screw taking hold of the upturned end of the Wedge T by means of collars, as represented, and serving to adjust the wedge T, and consequently the height of the counter-die Q, with great delicacy.

Bolts q, engaging through lugs on the dieholder Q, serve to hold the latter against horizontal displacement while the wedge is being moved. They may also be tightened when the parts are rightly adjusted to hold the whole very firmly. The wedge is formed with a long slot, and the bolts q stand therein.

I will designate the main upper'portion or head of the framing by A, and a hollow extension on one side thereof as A This part A guides the die H as it is traversed laterally out and back to be wiped.

The die H. is formed with an arm, 71., having a considerable notch in its upper face, which engages with an arm, I, from the slide I, which latter has a broad bearing on the face of theframingA and traverses in a slot therein formed, as plainly shown in Fig. 3.

J is a bell-crank lever turning on a fixed center, j, and operating the slide I by engaging its slotted upper arm with a pin from the front of the slide.

The lever J is reciprocated at the proper time by a series of connections from the shaft its elevation.

D, as follows: The cam D which isheld strongly in the desired position on theshaft D, depresses a slide, K, which rocks the horizontal shaft L by acting on a roller on the arm L in opposition to the force of a stout spring, M. Another arm, L fixed on the shaft L,

engages by a pin on its end in a slot in the "I being efiected by an open notch" in the top of the arm h allows the die to be disengaged by its depression and to be again engaged on The powerful motion of the lever E disengages the die H, and carries it down firmly attached to and forming in efiect a part ofthe slide Gr. The impression is made under these conditions with the die H, which has been previously properly inked and wiped. After completing the impression, the return or upward movement of the slide Gr causes the arm h of the die H to again engage by means of its notch with the arm I of the slide I. So soon as the upward motion of the die stops, and a sufficient time for inking has been allowed, as will presently appear, its lateral motion, due to the movement of the lever J, commences. This lever, receiving motion through the train of connections from the shaft D, acts on the horizontal slide I, and moves it briskly away from the vertical slide Gr. The die H, being engaged by its notched arm h, is compelled to accompany the slide I, and it moves out, and with the return of the slide I moves again back, the dovetail seat for it in the bottom of the slide G allowing of its ready withdrawal and return.

The lower or working face of the die H is wiped upon the paper 0 during the whole of this movement. The paper 0 runs over a pair of rollers, F, at the proper elevation, and as the work proceeds is moved by being taken up intermittently on the drum 0 and given off as required from the drum O Suitable guiderollers are provided, as shown, to conduct it properly through the intervening spaces, and allow the operating mechanism to be at sufficiently distant points to be out of the way.

The intermittent motion of the paper is so timed that the paper rests motionless while the impression is being produced, but commences to move at or before the die comes in contact with it to be wiped. Sufficient friction is imposed on the delivering-drum O to insure that the paper 0 shall be always drawn tight.

The wiping-paper O is supported between the rollers F by a table, F, which may be of thin steel or other suitable material, so as to be slightly elastic. It is important that the paper he held up by a slightly-yielding surface; but I attain the yielding character mainly from a layer of felt or other elastic material, as shown by f in Fig. 4, which is glued or otherwise firmly held on the table F. The paperG is drawn tight across this felt-,and as the die rubs strongly over it effectually wipes the smoothly-polished surface, leaving, as in other die and plate printing, only the ink which fills the graven lines.

I have, in my experiments, attached the felt f to the thin metal table F by sewing or stitching through a series of small holes made in the latter.

In order to better guide the wiping-paper O, and to also hold down its edges, so that they shall never be struck and rucked up by the die H, I provide guides or fingers j", which cover and hold down each edge of the wiping-paper. V

(See Fig. 4.)

I can vary the extent of the travel of the paper'O at will. The motion is derived from a slotted crank or disk, D carried on the shaft D. The pin d-is adjustable in the radial slot therein, and communicates, through the link Z, a vibrating motion to the lever Z, which is pivoted loosely on the shaft of the roller 0, and communicates motion to the roller through a pawl, N, and a ratchet-wheel, 0. The pawl N may be held down by a spring. (Not represented.)

The extent of the motion of the paper 0 may be varied by shifting the pin d out and in. The time of the motion may be varied by changing the position of the crank or disk D on the shaft D. The character'of the motion is excellently adapted to effect the wiping thoroughly, because, being derived from a crank, it is moderate at the beginning and ending, and is most active at the middle of the motion. The middle and most active period of the motion of the paper is while the die H is stopping and reversing its motion. During this period the paper moves actively and cross-wipes the die.

The inking of the die H is effected immediately before its Wipin g by rolling with a roller, V, carried in a horizontally-moving slide, V, which is pushed outward at the proper time by the same cam, D which induces the pressure. The die H does not immediately on its rising start off on its lateral movement to be wiped. It pauses a moment before doing so. During this interval the slide V moves outward, carrying the roller V across the under face of the die H, and is immediately returned by the tension of the spring W.

The ink is supplied to the roller V by a doctor-roller, X, which supplies the ink from a fountain, Y, being turned by a constant and tolerably rapid motion.

The drawings show an open belt, which would turn the doctor-roller in the reverse of the ordinary direction. I prefer a cross-belt, turning the roller .in the ordinary direction; but however that may be, it is important that the roller shall turn rapidly, so as to keep its surfaces very freshly coated, and to supply the ink in liberal quantities and in a fresh condition to the inking-roller V.

Modifications may be made in the details by any good mechanic.

I attach importance to the fact that the same riod while it is beingi tes the main lever E also ecause I am thereby cermisplacement of the cam breakage; but instead of 1. In a die shown, I can return tive motion. ated successfully by the aid of two of the cam D Instead of applying the ink b a brush or an eccentrics-one on each side turl can apply it by which will afi'or ciently liberal portant with some of the varni die-work in co lors that-the inkii such a character as i receive and p the ink rig be readily cleaned suitable solvent.

In effecting the Wipin returning the die tailed groove in the spring, M, I can effe positive mechanism.

I have in my what is someti g motion, instead of seat in the doveslide G by the forceof a ct the return motion by experiments used wheels with mes known as set the motion free after movin quently the die H, out e other means for communicatin return motion to quently to the die gear is inoperative. ge that I may control an the return motion of t skip-gear, to g the slide I,

rd, and prog a positive the lever J, and conse- H, during the period while s affords the d modify the he die as re- An adjustable termine "ery counterdie P when it i receive the impression. justable stop may be pr the position at which the in the slide G on the term stop may be provided to de y the position of the s allowed to remain to A corresponding ad ovided to determine moving die H is left ination of its return If it shall be with the die heated by pr play upon th desired in any case to work or plate hot, the oviding a set of e die or die-carrier parts may be gas-burners to during the pecase to so modify the will cause it to stand nked. I propose in such operating mechanism as longer in that position and acquire the proper heat.

I claim as my inventionand plate printing machine, the wn, dovetailed ower face, in combination with the die H, and with mechanism, substantially returning the inking-roller as described, for withdrawing the die and re- 1ing it after being w fied.

slide V, in combination with the cam D which operates the die and roller in succession, as specified.

3. In a die and plate printing machine, the combination of the slide or die-carrier G and wiping means, substantially as specified,with the die H, having a notched arm, h, and the reciprocating slide I, having an engagingarm, I, all adapted to serve substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

4. In a die and plate printing machine, the strip of wiping-paper 0, moved intermittently across a slightly-yielding support, in combination with a die, H, and with the means, G and I, for moving the die laterally and vertically at the proper times, as herein specified.

5. In a die and plate printing machine, the counter-die P, capable of easy lateral motion, in combination with the slide G, having amotion to only a definite extent, so as, by the removal of the counter-die, to cause the die Hto be arrested in mid-air, as herein specified.

6. An ink-tank having a revolving inkdrum, with an ink-roll revolving in contact therewith, said roll being adapted to be moved to the surface of the die by means of a cam, in combination with a wiping and stamping mechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

EDW. HEWITT. Witnesses: i

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, CHAS. O. SrE'rsoN,

iped, as herein speciy a roller, I 2. The die H and connectin y other means substantially as described, and the uniform, and sufficarrying inking-roller V pecially imshes used in 1g apparatus will not only htly, but may ntine or other g mechanism, 

